Filling-replenishing mechanism for looms.



PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908. A. E. RHOADES. FILLING REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED 00128, 1907.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALONZO E. RHOADES, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DRAPER COMPANY, HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FILLING-REPLENISHING MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALoNzo E. RHoAnEs, a citizen, of the United States, and resident of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Filling-Replenishing Mechanism for Looms, of which the following descri tion, in connection with the accompanying rawing, is a specification, like letters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to the filling-replenishing mechanism of looms of the Northrop type, such for instance as forms the subject-matter of United States Patent No. 529940 granted November 27, 1894 to Northro and it has for its articular object the pro notion of novel and efficient means for effecting the intermittent advance or feed movement ofthe rotatable filling-feeder forming a part of such replenishing mechanisms.

.The several novel features of my invention will be fully described in the following specification and particularly pointed out in t e claims appended thereto.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of a sufficient portion of the filling-replenishing mechanism of a loom, on the line 11, Fig. 2, looking toward the left, with one embodiment of my present invention applied thereto, the parts being shown in normal condition, Fig. 2 is a front elevation, partly I broken out, of the mechanism shown in Fig.

1; Fig. 3 isa detail in inner side elevation showing the friction detent for preventing retrograde movement of the feeder, as it appear viewing the parts from the left of Fig. 2.

The stand A which in practice is mounted on the breast beam of the loom near one end thereof and having a fixed and horizontally extended stud a, the filling feeder rotatably mounted on the stud, and comprising two parallel disks only one of which, as a is erein shown, to support the filling-carriers or bobbins b, the hu a which in practice connects the disk, the transferrer f fulcrumed on the fixed stud f, and the means for operating the transferrer to engage and remove the filling-carriers one by one from the feeder to the running shuttle of the loom may be and are all substantially of well known construction in their general features in the Northrop ty e of loom. The stop h, Fig. 1, for the leading filling-carrier of the series in the feeder, and the finger m adj acent the said stop are also of well known construction.

In the present embodiment of my invention, I secure to or form upon the outer face of the disk a a circular hub or disk 1 which is loosely surrounded by a carrier 2 shown as a ring rotatively mounted on the disk and held in place thereon by an annular retainer or washer 3, shown in Fig. 1 as attached to the outer face of the disk 1 by suitable fastenings as screws 4.

The ring or carrier 2 is enlarged at 5 to form a chamber 6 adapted to receive a clutching member circular in cross-section and herein shown as'a ball 7, and designated by me hereinafter as the clutching or looking roll or member. Said member is in rolling engagement with the periphery of the disk 1, within the chamber 6, the outer wall 8 of said chamber forming a seat for the clutching member which seat is eccentric to the disk and herein it is so arranged that the lower end of the seat 8 is nearer the periphery of the disk than its upper end. When therefore the carrier 2 is turned in the direction of the arrow 50, Fig. 1, the clutching member or roll 7 will be cramped or forced with a wedging action against the periphery of the disk, between it and the seat 8, so that the disk and the filling feeder will be turned positively and in unison with the carrier in the direction of the arrow 50. To effect such effective or feed movement of the carrier, the latter has pivotally connected to it at 9 a coupling 10 threaded to receive the threaded end of a link 11, loosely extended through a tubular bearing 12, pivotally mounted at 13 on the transferrer f, the lower end of the link having an enlargement or head 14 best shown in Fig. 1. A stiff spring 15 is herein shown as interposed between the coupling 10 and the bearing 12 and coiled around the link.

When the transferrer f is operatively moved to remove a filling-carrier, it is depressed from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and the weight of the parts connected with the carrier will operate to turn the latter oppositely to the arrow 50 to position it for its advance movement, but if for any reason the parts should stick slightly the final downward movement of the transferrer will cause the bottom of the bearing 12 to engage the head 14 of the link and positively pull down the link to properly turn the carrier. When the filling-carrier has been transferred, the transferrer returns to normal position, and upon such return the bearing 12 acts through the spring 15 to lift the coupling 10 and to thereby turn the carrier 2, but at such time the clutching member 7 is wedged into engagement with the disk 1, and the filling-feeder is rotated or advanced a proper distance to bring the next filling-carrier of the series into transferring position against the stop h. It is to be noticed that the spring 15 is not compressed under ordinary circumstances, but is stiff enough to transmit the upward movement of the transferrer to the carrier without any material compression. The urpose of the spring is to prevent any brea age of the parts, if for some reason the advance of the feeder should be prevented, when the transferrer returns to its normal position.

So far as the operation of the mechanism is concerned, the spring 15 could be replaced by a sleeve, but with such a sleeve it will be manifest that some accidental stoppage of the feeder would probably result in breakage of some of the parts of the apparatus. I have provided manually controlled means to render the clutching member 7 inoperative temporarily, and herein said means is shown as a finger-piece 16 having its shank extended through a cored-out portion 6 of the enlargement 5 of the carrier, the lower end of the finger-piece being inturned into the bottom of the chamber 6 as at 17, see dotted lines Fig. 1, so that by lifting the fingerpiece the finger 17 will engage the clutch member 7 and lift it toward the upper or larger part of the chamber, thereby preventing wedging action with the disk 1. To re vent any retrograde movement of the fillingfeeder, I have formed upon the back of the late a a circular hub 18 which is surrounded y a casing 19 preferably fast on the stand A said casing having a chamber 20 to receive a clutch roll 21, see dotted lines Fig. 3,

. the chamber decreasing in width from its up- 7 per to its lower end.

The roll 21 travels upon the periphery of the hub 18 so long as the latter is rotated in the feeding direction of the feeder, shown by the arrow in Fig. 3. Any retrograde or opposite rotative movement of the feeder will immediately cause the roll 21 to clutch the hub 18 and hold it from such movement. If it is desired to turn the feeder backward, as for instance for convenience in filling, the detent roll 21 must be rendered inoperative. For this purpose, I mount at 22 on the back of the casing 19 a handle 23 having an arm 24 provided with an inturned end '25 extended through a slot 26 in the side of the chamber 20. By swinging the handle 23 to the left, viewing Fig. 3, the inturned end 25 will be lifted and brought into engagement with the 7 roll 21, lifting the latter up toward the larger end of the chamber 20, and releasing the disk from the Wedging action of the roll. It will be understood that both of the manually controlled releasing devices 16 and 23 must be operated when it is desired to turn the filling-feeder freely on its axis. Should there be one or more filling-carriers absent from the feeder the impetus imparted to it by or through the advance or feed movement of the friction clutch governed by the transferrer will be sufficient to continue the advance of the feeder until the gap is passed and the leading filling-carrier brought into position to be transferred.

So far as I am aware I am the first to provide a friction clutch to effect the feed or ad vance movement of a filling-feeder, and there fore my invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement herein shown, as the same may be modified or varied by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, a transferrer to remove them one by one from the feeder, a friction clutch to rotate the feeder, and a single connection between the clutch and the transferrer, operative movement of the latter opening the clutch and return movement of the transferrer acting positively through said connection to lock the clutch and rotate the feeder.

2. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, transferring means therefor, and a friction clutch operatively connected with the feeder and opened by transferring movement of said means and closed and actuated positively to rotate the feeder by return movement of the said means to normal position, combined with a manually-controlled device to at will render said clutch inoperative.

3. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, a transferrer to remove them one by one from the feeder, a friction clutch to rotate the feeder, and a single positive connection between the clutch'and the transferrer, operative movement of the latter opening the clutch and return movement of the transferrer closing the clutch and positively moving it bodily with and to rotate the feeder.

4. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, a transferrer to remove them one by one from the feeder, a friction disk rotatable with the feeder, a carrier encircling the disk and having a clutch chamber, a clutching roll within the chamber and cooperating with the periphery of the disk, and a connection between the transferrer and the carrier to oscillate the latter, return movement of the transferrer wedging the clutching roll against and rotating the disk, to advance the feeder, operative movement of the transferrer turning the carrier to release the clutching roll in its chamber.

5. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a' series of filling-carriers, transferring means therefor, and a friction clutch operatively connected with the feeder and opened by the transferring movement of said means and closed and actuated positively to rotate the feeder by return movement of the said means to normal position, combined with a friction detent to prevent retrograde movement of the feeder.

6. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, transferring means therefor, and a friction clutch operatively connected with the feeder and opened by the transferring movement of said means and closed and actuated positively to rotate the feeder by return movement of the said means to normal position, combined with a friction detent to prevent retrograde movement of the feeder, and a manually-controlled device to at will render said detent inoperative.

7. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, transferring means therefor, and a friction clutch operatively connected with the feeder and opened by the transferring movement of said means and closed and actuated positively to rotate the feeder by return movement of the said means to normal position, combined with a friction detent to prevent retrograde movement of the feeder, and separate, manually-controlled devices to render inoperative the friction clutch and detent, respectively, to permit free rotative movement of the feeder.

8. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, a transferrer to remove them one by one from the feeder, a circular clutch member rotatable with the feeder, a ring rotatively mounted on said member and having a roll chamber, a clutch roll therein to cooperate With the circular member, a connection pivotally attached to the ring and the transferrer and including a normally expanded spring, the spring yielding only if advance of the feeder is prevented upon return movement of the transferrer to normal position.

9. A rotatable filling-feeder to hold a series of filling-carriers, a transferrer to remove them one by one from the feeder, a friction clutch comprising two concentric members, one of which is rotatable with the feeder and the other relatively thereto, and a locking member, combined with means operated by transferring movement of the transferrer to effect relative movement of the concentric members, and to effect their movement in unison by the locking member upon return of the transferrer to normal position.

10. The combination, with a rotatable filling-feeder having an attached disk, and a clutching member circular in cross-section contacting with the disk, of a transferrer, and means governed by movement thereof to normal position after transfer to effect positive engagement of the clutching member and the disk and rotate the latter.

11. The combination, with a rotatable filling-feeder having an attached disk, a clutching member in rolling engagement with the disk, and a carrier for said member, movable concentrically with the disk and having a seat for said member eccentric to the disk, of a transferrer, and means between it and the carrier to move the latter by return movement of the transferrer and cause the clutching member to engage the disk with a wedge action and thereby effect its movement in unison with the carrier, operative movement of the transferrer positioning the carrier for the subsequent feeding movement thereof.

12. The combination with a movable filling-feeder to contain a series of filling-carriers, and mechanism to transfer the latter one by one, of a friction clutch operatively connected with the feeder and including a clutching member in rolling engagement therewith, and means intermediate said mechanism and the clutch to actuate the latter and effect positive advance of the feeder by or through each transferring operation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. I

ALONZO E. RHOADES.

Witnesses:

FRANK J. DUTCHER, ERNEST W. W001). 

